In his interaction with Pontius Pilate, Jesus utters the famous phrase, “my kingdom is not of this world.” In this scene, Jesus shows us how he interacts with the powers of the world, and invites us to follow him as we live and interact with earthly powers and institutions.

Discussion Questions

Read Matthew 27:11-26, Mark 15:1-15, and Luke 23:1-25. What do these other passages show us about Pontius Pilate and his motivations? What do we see about Jesus and his relation to earthly power?
Why is it so hard for us to live as citizens of the Kingdom, not of the world but for the world. What would be different in our earthly institutions if we more fully embodied his kingdom?
In what way is the gospel “political” and in what ways is it not? How can we help one another avoid falling into the trap of using Jesus to further our earthly political agendas?
How can we reach people in our area with the gospel of Jesus when so many people think of Christians as “political” in the wrong ways? How can we correct wrong perceptions without throwing fellow Christians under the proverbial bus?

Prayer Points

Pray that we, as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, would know where our true allegiance lies, and that we would wisely interact with earthly powers and institutions.
Pray for God to use us as a church to bring the goodness of his Kingdom to our neighborhoods, communities, cities, and region.